Warriors: Lingering Storm
by BurningTrashPile
Summary: Bitterpaw keeps having dreams about his brother, Badgerpaw, and in every one of them, Badgerpaw dies in some way regarding water. While Bitterpaw struggles to figure out what they could mean, Badgerpaw can't deal with the fact that the ShadowClan leader, Nettlestar, is planning to fight ThunderClan soon. Will the two brothers be able to save their Clan from destruction?
1. Chapter 1

Bitterpaw yawned widely. His eyelids drooped heavily and his head kept lolling to the side and he had to shake himself awake. He was helping guard the camp with his mentor, Pigeonwing, for the first time. "Tired?" Pigeonwing asked, glancing at his apprentice sympathetically. Bitterpaw answered with another yawn. "You can go to sleep if you want," Pigeonwing offered. Bitterpaw shook his head stubbornly.

"I need to do this," He meowed firmly. "I have to be a great warrior." Pigeonwing smiled.

"You will be, I know it. I was tired the first time I did this, too," Pigeonwing meowed. Bitterpaw couldn't imagine Pigeonwing ever being tired. He seemed so wide awake, always full of energy and ready to defend his Clan. Bitterpaw didn't know if he could ever be such a good warrior as he was.

"You know, going to sleep won't make you a bad warrior. It'll probably make you a better warrior, actually," Pigeonwing meowed, as if reading Bitterpaw's mind. "You have to make responsible decisions. At least you tried your hardest." Bitterpaw nodded sleepily. He couldn't argue with that. He stood up slowly and padded into the camp, too tired to say goodnight to his mentor.

"You were too tired to keep guarding camp?"

Bitterpaw jumped at his denmate's voice as he entered the apprentice's den. He looked over to see Badgerpaw, Bitterpaw's brother, looking fully awake. "Couldn't sleep," Badgerpaw explained, standing up and stretching. "Mind if I helped guard camp with Pigeonwing instead?" Bitterpaw shook his head and flopped down in his moss bedding. Badgerpaw smiled, eyes shimmering with excitement. "Great! Thanks, Bitterpaw!"

Bitterpaw was already asleep as Badgerpaw ran out of the apprentice's den.

_When Bitterpaw opened his eyes, Badgerpaw was back in the apprentice's den. He smiled and stood, saying nothing but flicking his tail for Bitterpaw to follow. Bitterpaw obeyed, and trotted quickly after his brother. They padded out of camp, and Bitterpaw noticed that all the other ThunderClan cats weren't in the clearing like they normally were in the morning, eating fresh kill, sharing tongues, and gossiping. _

_When it felt like they had been walking for at least a moon, Badgerpaw stopped next to a large puddle. Drops were falling in the puddle, making small splashes, and getting Bitterpaw's forepaws wet. He stepped back a tail length, to avoid getting any wetter. But where were the splashes coming from? _

_Bitterpaw glanced at the sky, but it was clear and blue. There weren't any trees around the puddle, either. Bitterpaw looked at Badgerpaw, confused. "Where are the drops coming from?" He asked. Badgerpaw frowned and stared at the puddle. Bitterpaw was surprised that Badgerpaw's reflection did not show up in the water. Bitterpaw gasped as the water began swirling faster and faster. The water began rising up in a whirlwind of cold droplets. Bitterpaw yelled for Badgerpaw to run, but he remained where he was, frowning at the tornado of water._

_Bitterpaw tried running forward to drag his brother away from the water tornado, but his paws would not move. He screamed for help, but no cats came. Bitterpaw gasped as the water tornado started moving forward and sucked up Badgerpaw. "No!" Bitterpaw struggled and fought, but his paws stuck to the ground firmly. The water tornado carried on, avoiding Bitterpaw but destroying the forest. _


	2. Chapter 2

Bitterpaw blinked open his eyes and found he was panting and sweating. Everyone else was still asleep. Bitterpaw staggered out of the apprentice's den for some fresh air. He saw Frostmouse, the medicine cat, sitting by himself outside of the medicine den. He glanced over at Bitterpaw. His eyes were concerned.

"What's wrong, Bitterpaw?" Frostmouse asked. Bitterpaw padded over to him. "Would you like to come in the medicine den so I can check you out?" Bitterpaw shook his head, still bewildered by his dream.

"Only a nightmare," he managed. Frostmouse nodded, eyes still anxious.

"What about?" Frostmouse asked. "Unless you don't want to talk about it, of course," he added. Bitterpaw hesitated.

"It was about Badgerpaw. Well, Badgerpaw was in it…. there was this puddle... and it.. it…" Frostmouse purred sympathetically.

"You don't have to tell me any more than that," Frostmouse meowed. Bitterpaw nodded, relieved. He noticed that Frostmouse seemed quite scared about Bitterpaw's dream. Well, he was the medicine cat. Maybe he was just worried about Bitterpaw. "Should I get you some herbs to help calm you down?" Frostmouse asked, as though reading Bitterpaw's mind. Bitterpaw shook his head.

"No, it would be a waste of herbs." Frostmouse seemed to think this was reasonable. "I think I'll go see Pigeonwing. Maybe we can go hunting," Bitterpaw meowed, seeing the sky lightening. Frostmouse nodded. Bitterpaw stood up and trotted to the camp entrance.

"Good morning!" Badgerpaw meowed. Pigeonwing smiled at his apprentice and flicked his tail in greeting. Bitterpaw was relieved nothing bad had really happened to his brother. He purred and licked Badgerpaw's shoulder. Badgerpaw licked Bitterpaw's shoulder back and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna go take a nap before Blackice takes me to do some battle training," Badgerpaw meowed, padding away and leaving Pigeonwing and Bitterpaw outside.

"How'd you sleep?" Pigeonwing asked. Bitterpaw shuddered. "Rather not talk about it?" Pigeonwing meowed. Bitterpaw nodded.

"Can we go hunting?" He asked hopefully. He needed something to distract him from his dream. Pigeonwing yawned, glancing sympathetically at his apprentice.

"I think I'm gonna rest a bit, Bitterpaw. Ask Icefang if you can join the hunting patrol, maybe. Later I might be able to do battle training with you, though, if you want," He meowed. Bitterpaw nodded, a bit sad. He wanted to spend more time with his mentor. If only he hadn't been so tired last night….

Bitterpaw followed Pigeonwing into the warrior's den. Icefang, the ThunderClan deputy, was sharing tongues with his mate, Ivyblaze. Icefang glanced up as Bitterpaw entered, raising an eyebrow. "What is it, Bitterpaw?" He asked, pausing from licking Ivyblaze's flank. Bitterpaw cleared his throat quietly.

"Can I join a hunting patrol?" He meowed. Icefang considered it for a second before nodding and continuing to groom Ivyblaze. Bitterpaw smiled. "Thanks!" He turned to go. "Wait, who's-"

"Foxfang is leading the next hunting patrol. Go talk to her," Icefang meowed.


	3. Chapter 3

Bitterpaw nodded to the ThunderClan deputy and left the warrior's den in search of Foxfang. He saw her sitting under the Highrock with her sister, Copperfur. He padded up to them. Foxfang flicked her tail cheerfully at the young cat.

"Hey there, Bitterpaw," Copperfur meowed, smiling.

"Wait can we help you with?" Foxfang asked.

"Icefang said I could join the hunting patrol and he told me you were leading it," Bitterpaw mewed, pointing towards the warrior's den with his tail. Foxfang nodded, standing. "Are we going now?" Bitterpaw asked. Foxfang nodded again.

"Cactustail, Rainpaw, Birdeye, and Darkpaw are also coming," She meowed.

"That's a large hunting patrol," Copperfur meowed. Foxfang nodded, heading towards the entrance to the camp, probably to see if Cactustail and Birdeye were there with Rainpaw and Darkpaw. Bitterpaw headed for the apprentice's den to see if Rainpaw and Darkpaw were there. Olivepaw, another apprentice, was in there, eating a sparrow.

"Hey Bitterpaw," He meowed happily, looking up from his sparrow. "If you're looking for Badgerpaw, he's out with Blackice in the training hollow." Bitterpaw shook his head.

"I was actually looking for Darkpaw and Rainpaw." Olivepaw looked thoughtful, trying to remember if he had seen them.

"I think…. I think they're in the training hollow with Badgerpaw and their mentors," He meowed finally. Bitterpaw nodded.

"Foxfang is checking there. I'd better be off! Bye, Olivepaw! Enjoy your sparrow." Bitterpaw turned and raced to the training hollow. It was fairly close to camp, and Bitterpaw didn't have to run far. When he got there, he saw Cactustail, Birdeye, Blackice, Rainpaw, Darkpaw, Badgerpaw, and Foxfang, who was chatting with the warriors while Badgerpaw, Rainpaw, and Darkpaw practiced their hunting crouches. Foxfang looked up as Bitterpaw ran down into the hollow.

"Did you forget about me?" He mewed. Foxfang smiled.  
"Now can we go hunting?" Rainpaw meowed excitedly. "We've been waiting sooo long!" Darkpaw batted her gently, claws sheathed.

"You're whining like a kit!" He meowed. "You're so impatient. I, however, am patient, and so I didn't mind waiting. But I agree, I want to go hunting!" Rainpaw batted him back. Darkpaw yowled and pounced on her. She pushed him off with her hind legs and stood up quickly, fur bristling.

"If you two keep fighting like kits, we won't go hunting," Birdeye warned. Darkpaw immediately stopped fighting and jumped off of Rainpaw. "Good. Rainpaw?" Rainpaw scowled, but sat up and began grooming her ruffled fur.

"We were just practicing in case we see ShadowClan while we're hunting," Rainpaw meowed. Cactustail silenced her apprentice with a sharp look.

"We will not fight any cat unless we have to. And ShadowClan has been surprisingly quiet lately. There would be no point in fighting them," She mewed.

"But what if they're on our territory?" Rainpaw objected.

"They wouldn't dare!" Darkpaw growled.

"Not with me around!" Rainpaw mewed.

"If they were on our territory, which they are not," Cactustail meowed, "We would tell them to leave and report them to Smokestar."

"I want to come and fight ShadowClan with you guys," Badgerpaw muttered, ignoring Cactustail.

"Maybe Icefang will let us go on a border patrol later. But for now, the hunting patrol is large enough," Blackice told his apprentice. "I doubt you could even catch a sleeping squirrel," He added.

"I can too!" Badgerpaw argued. "I'll show you!"

"Perhaps later. But for now, we are going to continue your battle training. Good warriors can win battles."  
"Good warriors can hunt!"

"Come on, let's go," Foxfang meowed to the hunting patrol, leaving Badgerpaw and Blackice bickering, Badgerpaw's fur bristling. Bitterpaw gazed sympathetically at his brother and trotted after Foxfang.


	4. Chapter 4

"Bet I'll catch more mice than you," Darkpaw meowed to Rainpaw.

"Well, I bet I'll catch more voles than you!" Rainpaw argued.

"Well, I'll catch the most rabbits," Bitterpaw interrupted.

"Is that a challenge?" Darkpaw meowed, fluffing up his fur.

"If it is, I know who'll win," Rainpaw mewed.

"Who?" Bitterpaw asked.

"WindClan."

"My name's Darkpaw, not WindClan," Darkpaw meowed. Rainpaw laughed.

"Be quiet or you'll scare all the prey away," Birdeye scolded the young apprentices. "And there is no challenge today. You're not being assessed for a while yet." Darkpaw pouted at this news.

"I'm still catching the most rabbits," Bitterpaw whispered. He ran ahead of the hunting patrol and heard Darkpaw's and Rainpaw's paw steps pounding after him. He skidded to a stop when he came to the WindClan border. He hadn't realized they came so far.

"Careful! Don't cross the border!" Bitterpaw yowled as he heard Darkpaw and Rainpaw getting closer. But Rainpaw didn't hear him. Instead, she picked up speed and went right across the border. Quickly she realized what she had done and ran back over onto ThunderClan territory.

Darkpaw gasped in mock horror. "You're joining WindClan, Rainpaw?" He mewed, pretending to faint. He burst out laughing.

"Quit acting like a mouse brained fool, Darkpaw," Bitterpaw meowed. "What if WindClan saw Rainpaw just then? Would you still be laughing then?" Darkpaw blinked. He stopped laughing and stood up.

"I would rip WindClan to shreds if they did anything to Rainpaw," He growled, his fur bristling.

"Why would you want to rip us to shreds? We're wonderful." The apprentices jumped. Bitterpaw narrowed his eyes as he recognized Swiftpounce, the WindClan deputy. Swiftpounce didn't seem hostile, just a bit frustrated.

"You know, you really should listen to your denmate," Swiftpounce meowed to Rainpaw, glancing at Bitterpaw. Rainpaw flattened her ears to her skull, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry for crossing the border. I didn't mean to, really I didn't," She mewed, looking at her paws instead of at Swiftpounce.

"Kits." Another WindClan cat warrior, Thistletalon, rolled his eyes. Darkpaw's fur bristled. Bitterpaw glanced at him and blinked a warning. _Don't attack. They're just trying to provoke you._

"We're apprentices, actually," Bitterpaw meowed calmly, turning to Thistletalon. Thistletalon glared at him but Bitterpaw didn't flinch. Thistletalon seemed surprised. Swiftpounce's ears flicked with content.

"Brave, aren't you?" He meowed.

"I'm brave, too!" Darkpaw meowed to Swiftpounce.

"Why yes, you certainly are." Birdeye ran up to the apprentices and stood next to Darkpaw. Darkpaw blinked up at his mentor. "Foxfang and Cactustail are just behind me. Foxfang found a pretty juicy looking mouse. I thought I heard WindClan," Birdeye meowed, glancing at Swiftpounce.

Thistletalon looked a bit frightened. He hadn't realized how many cats there were. He had just assumed it was only the apprentices. This made Bitterpaw smirk. Birdeye just seemed to notice that Thistletalon was there at all. When he looked at Thistletalon, the WindClan warrior deliberately looked away. Bitterpaw wondered why.

Suddenly Bitterpaw smelled mouse. Foxfang and Cactustail were coming. The she-cats arrived and glanced confusedly at the WindClan cats. Foxfang dropped the mouse she was holding. "What's going o-?" She stopped and blinked as a raindrop fell on her nose.

"Yuck!" Rainpaw meowed as a raindrop fell on her head. "Can we go back to camp? We're not RiverClan."

"Yeah, we can probably head back. The prey will all be hiding in their burrows to wait out the storm," Foxfang meowed.

"Just as long as you keep your kits on your side of the border," Thistletalon growled. Foxfang glanced at Darkpaw, Rainpaw, and Bitterpaw. Then another raindrop fell on her ear. She flicked it away angrily.

"Come on, back to camp before it really starts to pour!" She began running back in the direction of ThunderClan camp. Bitterpaw ran after her, darting around puddles. He thought of his dream.

"No, it was just a nightmare," He muttered. "I'm no medicine cat." He ran faster, though, hoping Badgerpaw was alright.


	5. Chapter 5

Bitterpaw was relieved when he saw the camp. He raced inside, heading straight for the apprentice's den. Olivepaw was still in there, no longer eating, but napping. When Bitterpaw entered the apprentice's den, he shook off his pelt, showering Olivepaw in drops of water. Olivepaw stirred. He gasped when he saw how wet his fur was. He glanced at Bitterpaw in confusion. Darkpaw and Rainpaw raced inside, too.

"I know my name's Rainpaw, but I really hate the rain!" Rainpaw grumbled.

"I just wanna curl up and sleep on the Sunningrocks…" Darkpaw moaned longingly. "I'm so cold!"

"It's raining?" Olivepaw meowed, getting to his paws. "If I was in here the whole time, how'd I get wet?" Bitterpaw's whiskers twitched guiltily. Olivepaw looked at him, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. "Was it you, Bitterpaw?" He asked.

"Where's Badgerpaw?" Bitterpaw meowed, changing the subject. Olivepaw's eyes remained narrow, but grew thoughtful.

"Well…." Olivepaw meowed, trying to remember.

"Brr!" Bitterpaw's heart soared with happiness and relief as Badgerpaw stumbled in the apprentice's den, pushing Darkpaw and Rainpaw aside. "Quit blocking the entrance," He moaned. "It's freezing!" He started grooming his fur the wrong way to warm himself up. "Thank StarClan it was only rain. I never want it to be leafbare," He meowed, pausing.

"Oooh, leafbare. Yuck." Darkpaw shivered with disgust. "Even RiverClan can agree that leafbare stinks. Why do those cats like water?"

"Because they're crazy," Badgerpaw mewed. "They're probably rolling around in puddles right now." Bitterpaw tensed at those words. "I'd never roll around in puddles," Badgerpaw continued, making Bitterpaw sigh with relief. Badgerpaw raised an eyebrow at his brother. "What, did you think I would say I wanted to roll around in puddles? I'm ThunderClan, not RiverClan! Gross!" Bitterpaw shook his head.

"I just…. I'm not a fan of puddles…?" It wasn't a lie. _You're not a medicine cat,_ Bitterpaw reminded himself. _It's not an omen or anything. _Badgerpaw was alive and well. A bit wet, but who wasn't? "Should I get us some fresh kill?" Bitterpaw asked. Rainpaw looked delighted at this idea.

"Yes, please! Too bad we didn't catch anything on our patrol. I bet I would've gotten the juiciest, most tender vole ever," Rainpaw mewed.  
"You didn't catch anything?" Badgerpaw and Olivepaw meowed in surprise. Darkpaw shook his head.

Bitterpaw looked out into the clearing. It was empty except for Frostmouse and Smokestar, the ThunderClan leader. They were sitting under the Highrock, whispering urgently. Frostmouse seemed frantic with worry and Smokestar's eyes were glazed with panic.

As Bitterpaw ran to the fresh kill pile and grabbed five soggy crows, he heard Smokestar meow, "You really think it was an omen? And you think it's happening now?"

"It very well could be," Frostmouse replied nervously. "But I'm not sure. It may be a coincidence. And what makes it even stranger is that Bitterpaw was telling me this morning about a nightmare he had with a puddle in it. He didn't go into detail, but I could tell he was afraid."

Bitterpaw's ears pricked with interest as Frostmouse mentioned his name. He considered telling Frostmouse more about his dream, but Darkpaw called his name before he could say anything.


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you just going to sit there and get wet, or bring us our fresh kill?" Darkpaw called. Bitterpaw hadn't even realized how wet he was getting. His pelt was drenched. He ran back to the apprentice's den and dropped the soggy crows. Badgerpaw poked one with his paw.

"They're not very dry, are they?" He meowed.

"Oh great, crows," Rainpaw muttered. "Too many feathers! And they're wet! Gross." But she took a crow anyway.

Bitterpaw ate his crow slowly. He hadn't eaten all day; he was starving. He wanted to savor the flavor. He spat out a mouthful of soggy feathers.

"Well, it could've been a worse dinner," Olivepaw mewed slowly, once he'd finished eating. Everyone turned and looked at him.

"Really? How could it have been any worse?" Rainpaw meowed.

"We could've had to eat fish."

"Ew! Why does everyone think we're RiverClan cats today?" Darkpaw mewed in disgust. Olivepaw laughed.

"RiverClan is weird," He meowed, shaking his head. "Well, I'm gonna nap some more while we wait for the rain to stop." Olivepaw curled up, wrapping his tail around his paws, and began to snore quietly.

"All he does is sleep, honestly! Why doesn't Roselily ever train with him? He'll never be a good warrior," Badgerpaw meowed.  
"Can you really say you're not tired too?" Bitterpaw yawned. "Cause I'm beat." He plopped down in his moss bed and rolled over until he was comfortable.

"Well, Blackice did train me pretty hard today… before it started raining, obviously," Badgerpaw meowed. He laid down next to Bitterpaw.

"Goodnight!" Bitterpaw meowed as he closed his eyes.

When Bitterpaw opened his eyes, he noticed Olivepaw was gone. "Hm. Wonder where he went," Bitterpaw mewed quietly to himself. "He hardly ever leaves the den, apart from getting fresh kill from the fresh kill pile." Bitterpaw looked over at Badgerpaw as his brother began to stir.

"Olivepaw's gone?" He yawned, stretching. Bitterpaw nodded. "Probably just getting a mouse or something." Bitterpaw glanced out into the clearing. There were a few puddles everywhere, the fresh kill pile was small and soggy, and nobody was out there. Not even Olivepaw.

"He isn't out in the clearing," Bitterpaw mewed. Badgerpaw shrugged, clearly not too bothered by Olivepaw's disappearance.

"Maybe Roselily's actually training or hunting with him. He needs the exercise," He meowed. "Sleeping is not nearly as muscle-building as battle training."

"Hopefully they didn't run into a badger or something," Bitterpaw mewed.

"Roselily can handle a badger," Badgerpaw argued. "Stop worrying about everyone. That's Frostmouse's job." But Bitterpaw couldn't help worrying. Olivepaw never left the apprentice's den. Now all of a sudden, he was just gone.

"Aren't you even a bit worried?" Bitterpaw asked. Badgerpaw shook his head.

"Roselily is a good warrior. If she's a good mentor too, she'll protect Olivepaw and teach him to protect himself also. They'll be fine." Bitterpaw nodded.

But when Bitterpaw left the apprentice's den to get breakfast, he saw Roselily sitting by Birdeye. They were sharing a thrush. Bitterpaw's blood turned to ice. If Roselily was here, Olivepaw was out in the forest by himself for one of the first times ever. Where was he, why did he leave, and was he okay? Bitterpaw didn't know.


	7. Chapter 7 (sorry its short)

"Roselily, did you happen to see Olivepaw?" Bitterpaw asked, padding up to her and Birdeye.

"No, I haven't," Roselily replied. "Go ask Littlefoot. He was guarding the camp all night, he would've seen him if he's not in the apprentice's den." Bitterpaw nodded nervously, and hurried towards the entrance, hoping Littlefoot would know where Olivepaw was.

"Hi, Bitterpaw. Where are you going?" Littlefoot asked him.

"Nowhere. I wanted to know if you've seen Olivepaw at all this morning," Bitterpaw replied. Littlefoot looked at the ground and shuffled his paws.

"Maybe," He muttered.

"What do you mean, 'maybe'?" Bitterpaw asked. Littlefoot looked guiltily at the apprentice.

"Well, I might have dozed off for a bit last night…." He admitted. Bitterpaw blinked. "Sorry," Littlefoot mumbled.

"Oh, well, okay then, thanks," Bitterpaw meowed, trying not to sound too disappointed. Littlefoot turned away from him, whiskers twitching with shame. Bitterpaw turned and padded back into ThunderClan camp, and came bounding up to Badgerpaw, who was picking a squirrel from the fresh kill pile.

"You never brought me breakfast!" He mewed. Bitterpaw ignored him.

"I asked Roselily if she knew where he was, and she said no. So I asked Littlefoot if he knew where he was, because he was guarding camp last night, but he said no, he might have dozed off!" Bitterpaw meowed. Badgerpaw looked confused.

"He?" He meowed.

"Olivepaw," Bitterpaw explained, exasperated. Badgerpaw nodded.

"Well, he'll come back eventually. He can't stay away from his nest for too long. He has an obsession with sleeping," He mewed, grabbing his squirrel and trotting to the apprentice's den to eat it. Bitterpaw's paws tingled with frustration. His brother didn't care at all about Olivepaw!


	8. Chapter 8

Badgerpaw didn't see what the big deal was about Olivepaw. What was so bad if he wanted to go explore for a bit? He might just be sleeping at the Sunningrocks. Actually, that sounded right. Badgerpaw swallowed his squirrel and groomed himself, then stood up and padded out of the apprentice's den.

He ran out of camp and raced towards the Sunningrocks. He skidded to a halt when he got to the Sunningrocks. He gazed open-mouthed at the empty rocks. He thought for sure Olivepaw would be here! Badgerpaw sniffed the rocks, but there was no scent of any cat being here for days. The days had been getting shorter and cooler, but instead of warming up in the sun, most cats had hid in their dens.

Badgerpaw didn't know where Olivepaw was; if he wasn't in camp and he wasn't at the Sunningrocks, where could he be?

Badgerpaw looked up as he smelled Rainpaw, Cactustail, and a queen, Wolfwhisper. Badgerpaw was surprised Wolfwhisper was with them. She was supposed to be looking after her kits in the nursery! Perhaps Sunspiral, her mate, was caring for them while she was gone.

But Wolfwhisper seemed frantic. It took Badgerpaw a minute to understand why she must be so nervous. Olivepaw was her oldest kit. Maybe Bitterpaw had told Smokestar about Olivepaw's disappearance.

"Badgerpaw! Badgerpaw, have you seen Olivepaw?" Wolfwhisper asked, rushing up to him. She must have smelled him. Her fur was sticking out all over the place and her eyes were watery. Badgerpaw felt a pang of sympathy towards the queen.

"I'm so sorry," He meowed quietly. "I was looking for him, but I can't find him. Is Smokestar organizing patrols?" Rainpaw nodded. Her and Cactustail had come up behind Wolfwhisper.

"Blackice said he found a scent trail. Shall we go and help him?" Cactustail mewed.

"I think so. Blackice is better at fighting, not tracking scents. He may need some help," Rainpaw replied. Cactustail nodded.

"What if it's not him?" Wolfwhisper sobbed. Her eyes had shined with hope for a second, then became sad again. "Or what if the scent trail leads us to a fox den, where a nice fox family had just enjoyed him as their dinner?" Her voice grew quiet with grief.

"I'm sure he's not dead," Badgerpaw meowed. But he wasn't so sure himself. This may well be Olivepaw's first time out of the den. What if he had run into a fox? Badgerpaw finally understood why Bitterpaw had been so worried.

"He may be, if we don't hurry!" Wolfwhisper hurried off in a random direction.

"Wolfwhisper, Blackice said the trail led this way!" Cactustail ran after Wolfwhisper and pointed towards the ShadowClan border.

"Oh no," The queen whispered. "That's the ShadowClan border! My poor kit probably has no idea what ShadowClan smells like. What if he's in their territory?" Badgerpaw expected her to lay down and attempt burying herself in the dirt, but Rainpaw nudged her shoulder and Wolfwhisper started padding slowly towards the border, whiskers twitching with nervousness.

Badgerpaw raced up to his mentor when they reached him. "The scent trail leads into ShadowClan territory," Blackice muttered into his ear. Badgerpaw was surprised to hear fear in Blackice's voice. The thought of Blackice being scared made Badgerpaw tremble with fright.

Normally, Blackice would have scolded Badgerpaw for acting like a scared kit, but instead, his mentor just trembled beside him. "ShadowClan could have done anything to him if they found him on their territory. What if he was hunting their prey? He doesn't know much about the warrior code, seeing as he hardly ever leaves his nest."

"Are we going to go in ShadowClan's territory?" Badgerpaw asked. His mentor nodded.

"We have to. I'm sure if ShadowClan saw Olivepaw on their territory they wouldn't give him some fresh kill and let him on his way," Blackice meowed. Badgerpaw gulped. "Come on," Blackice meowed, flicking his tail for his apprentice to follow. They padded into ShadowClan territory.


	9. Chapter 9

Rainpaw padded up beside Badgerpaw. "Do you think Olivepaw is hurt?" She asked nervously.

"I don't know," Badgerpaw mewed. "I hope not. But knowing ShadowClan, probably…" Rainpaw shivered.

Soon Blackice stopped. Badgerpaw stumbled, but stood up again and gazed questioningly at his mentor. "I lost the scent trail," Blackice meowed. "The ShadowClan scent is too strong."

"We must be getting close to camp," Wolfwhisper mewed. "Oh, I hope he's alright!" Blackice's eyes grew wide.

"There's a ShadowClan patrol coming!" He hissed. Wolfwhisper's ears flattened with guilt and fright.

"Do we run?" Rainpaw asked, eyes shining with pure fear. Blackice shook his head.

"No point, they've smelled us," He mewed. Despite his warning, Wolfwhisper turned and bolted back towards ThunderClan camp.

Badgerpaw's muscles tensed. He saw the bushes ahead of them rustling and a lage, white ShadowClan cat stepped out, followed by an equally large tabby warrior, what had to be a ShadowClan apprentice, and a smaller gray warrior. The white cat spoke first. _He must be the leader of the patrol_, Badgerpaw thought.

"More ThunderClan cats on our territory," the white cat growled, hostility shining in his eyes. "Guess we'll have to dispose of them like we did the first." He flicked a signal with his tail and the cats behind him attacked the intruders.

The tabby tom leaped at Blackice, the gray she-cat pounced on Cactustail, and the apprentice faced off against Rainpaw and Badgerpaw. His white fur bristled and he snarled at the ThunderClan apprentices. Rainpaw leaped at him, her claws outstretched, but the ShadowClan apprentice shook her off easily.

As Rainpaw got shakily to her paws, Badgerpaw struggled as the white apprentice pinned him down and began raking his claws down Badgerpaw's unprotected belly. Badgerpaw yowled in pain and rage. "Don't fight back, Badgerpaw, you'll only provoke them," Blackice warned. He had managed to get the tabby tom off him. "If you leave them alone, they may give back Olivepaw." He grunted as the tabby tom bowled him over again.

"Snowcloud!" He yowled. "Call off your warriors! We don't wish to fight, we only want our apprentice back!" Snowcloud hesitated. _Why doesn't some cat just rip out his throat?_ Badgerpaw thought angrily. _He's not doing anything! _


	10. Chapter 10

Badgerpaw thrust the ShadowClan apprentice off him with his hind legs, knocking the wind out of him, but not hurting him. Badgerpaw leapt to his paws, wincing. Rainpaw looked hungrily at the apprentice, as though she would like to shred his ears. Finally, Snowcloud shrugged, seeing that the ThunderClan cats refused to hurt the ShadowClan ones.

"Stop!" He called to his patrol. The apprentice got up raked his claws down Badgerpaw's shoulder one more time before padding to Snowcloud's side. _Snowcloud must be his father, _Badgerpaw thought, seeing the same white pelt and green eyes on both of them. "I suppose I could ask Nettlestar about your apprentice. He's not much use, anyway. Fat and lazy," Snowcloud meowed.

"And ugly and smelly, too," The apprentice added. Snowcloud smirked.

"Now, don't be rude to ThunderClan, Frostpaw," he meowed. Frostpaw shrugged. Rainpaw's fur bristled.

"Did you hear what he called Olivepaw?" She hissed. Cactustail put her tail over her apprentice's mouth to quiet her, giving her a warning glance. Rainpaw glared at her mentor, but forced her fur to lie flat.

"Mossyleap," Snowcloud meowed to the gray she-cat, "You take the lead. Ripplepelt, you take up the rear." Mossyleap and Ripplepelt nodded and took their positions. "Frostpaw, you make sure these ThunderClan cats," Snowcloud hissed the word ThunderClan in disgust, "don't try to steal any prey." Frostpaw nodded.

"Don't get any ideas," He growled, turning to face the ThunderClan cats.

"Wow, such a fierce warrior. I sure won't try to hunt with _him _around," Rainpaw mewed sarcastically. Frostpaw's fur bristled and Badgerpaw noticed him unsheathe his claws. But he stopped himself from attacking and simply replied,

"I'm glad to hear it." He turned around and padded behind Snowcloud, turning around every once in a while to check on the ThunderClan cats. Badgerpaw slowed his pace and trotted beside Blackice.

"They're treating us like prisoners," His mentor grumbled. "It's not like we're going to surprise attack them. We'd have much more warriors than this if we were." Badgerpaw nodded in agreement. He wished Bitterpaw were there. Badgerpaw suddenly tripped over a root sticking out of the ground. He got up quickly.

"Hurry up," Frostpaw hissed. Badgerpaw curled back his lips in the beginnings of a snarl, but Blackice put his tail over Badgerpaw's mouth, giving him a warning glance, as if to say, _I know ShadowClan cats are a bunch of mouse brained furballs, but stay calm. Olivepaw could be hurt. _

Badgerpaw gazed back at him. _But we're being treated like slaves! And we practiced all those moves in the training hollow…._ Blackice shook his head. Badgerpaw huffed. After what seemed like moons, they reached the ShadowClan camp. Badgerpaw wrinkled his nose in disgust. The smell was foul.

"Nettlestar!" Snowcloud yowled as they entered the camp. Several heads turned their way, anger replacing confusion as they recognized the ThunderClan scent. "We found a patrol on our territory," Snowcloud meowed as a completely black tom cat padded up, yellow eyes narrowed.

"I see," Nettlestar hissed. "And smell." He wrinkled his nose. Blackice bristled beside Badgerpaw. _No, no, please don't do anything you'll regret, _Badgerpaw willed his mentor. To Badgerpaw's relief, Cactustail flicked Blackice with her tail and Blackice forced his fur to lie flat. His eyes still blazed with fury, however.

"I made sure they didn't hunt on our territory," Frostpaw reported importantly, puffing up his chest. Nettlestar dipped his head toward the apprentice.

"Good, good," He murmured.

"Bighead," Rainpaw muttered. "What would we want with a bunch of frogs, anyway?" Frostpaw hissed. Nettlestar glared at her.

"If you don't want our frogs, why did you come here?" He demanded.

"Give us Olivepaw, Nettlestar," Blackice murmured, forcing his voice to stay level and calm. A crowd of cats was beginning to gather around them.

"And what if I don't?" Nettlestar mewed.

"Don't go looking for a fight, Nettlestar," Mossyleap warned sensibly.

"Why? ShadowClan is much stronger than puny ThunderClan!" Nettlestar growled stubbornly, turning to Mossyleap. "We could beat them easily! Unless you think we're too weak?" He eyed Mossyleap angrily. Mossyleap looked taken aback. She shook her head quickly and her gaze dropped to a leaf on the ground.

"You're not the leader, Mossyleap," Snowcloud added.

"I know, I didn't mean-" Mossyleap began.

"You can't tell Nettlestar what to do!" A yowl from the crowd cut her off. Murmurs of agreement came from several cats.

"I don't want to interrupt, but-" Blackice meowed.

"Quiet, you!" Nettlestar hissed. His fur was bristling, his claws unsheathed, and his teeth bared in a snarl. "Leave, now! We're keeping your apprentice, and you'll have to fight to get him back!" A shocked silence followed this. The ThunderClan cats were bewildered. Badgerpaw wanted to cry out, "You selfish, stupid, flea-bitten, fox-hearted, mouse-brained furball!", but he restrained himself.

"Fine," Blackice meowed finally, voice quivering with rage. He turned to leave, flicking his tail for the other ThunderClan cats to follow. "We'll go. But we will be back for Olivepaw, and we will die before we let you lay a claw on him. You've made a mistake, Nettlestar." As Badgerpaw hurried, limping, to follow his mentor, he heard Frostpaw mutter,

"I never thought I'd say this, but maybe not all ThunderClan cats are as stupid as they look."


	11. Chapter 11

Bitterpaw paced back and forth across camp, waiting impatiently. Wolfwhisper had come bolting back to camp, panting and sweating. "ShadowClan…. Patrol….," She had managed to wheeze before falling to the ground. Frostmouse had ran up to her and made sure she was okay.

_I hope Badgerpaw is okay, _Bitterpaw thought. _If ShadowClan has Olivepaw, and I know ShadowClan, they won't give him up easily. _His legs started getting tired, so Bitterpaw retreated to the apprentices' den to take a nap while the Clan nervously awaited Wolfwhisper's patrol's return.

He curled up and fell asleep.

_Bitterpaw yawned and blinked, looking around the apprentices' den. He felt as though he hadn't slept very long, although his legs weren't so tired anymore. His throat felt dry with thirst, so he stretched and padded out of the apprentices' den to get a drink. But he quickly scrambled back inside the den when he saw the clearing._

_The whole clearing was flooded with water, several ThunderClan cats splashing desperately in the churning waves. Bitterpaw gasped and looked around fearfully. Was Badgerpaw in there? To Bitterpaw's horror, he spotted his brother's familiar pelt thrashing in the water. Bitterpaw leaped into the water to save his brother, splashing awkwardly towards him._

_Water sucked at Bitterpaw's legs and belly fur, threatening to pull him into its depths, but Bitterpaw determinedly continued towards Badgerpaw. When he finally reached his brother, Badgerpaw had stopped thrashing and was just floating in the water. Bitterpaw sniffed his brother's unmoving body nervously._

"_Badgerpaw?" He meowed. Bitterpaw looked up and saw, to his horror, none of the other ThunderClan cats were splashing about anymore, either. But they were nowhere in sight. Surely they hadn't sunk? Bitterpaw glanced anxiously back at Badgerpaw, and gasped when he saw nothing but water. He drew in a deep breath and dove under the water, searching desperately for Badgerpaw in the dark depths._

_His lungs screamed for air, and Bitterpaw tried kicking up towards the surface for a breath, but the water pulled at him and dragged him under, and Bitterpaw felt the air leave him. He stopped trying to escape the water. Bitterpaw let the darkness enclose him._

Bitterpaw gasped as he woke up. Another dream about water? Perhaps he would talk to Frostmouse about that later. _Is Badgerpaw back? _Bitterpaw wondered, desperate to change the subject of his thoughts. He got quickly to his paws and padded out of the apprentices' den.

Bitterpaw felt a flood of relief when he saw the patrol had returned. He raced up to his brother. "Where's Olivepaw?" Bitterpaw asked Badgerpaw. Badgerpaw angled his ears towards Blackice, who was talking with Smokestar.

"...want a fight," Blackice was saying.

"Oh, no," Smokestar whispered, shaking his head sadly. Wolfwhisper, who had been resting in the medicine den, came charging out and looked wildly around.

"Where's my son?" She asked, crestfallen, when she didn't see him among the cats. Cactustail wrapped her tail around Wolfwhisper's shoulders and guided her towards the nursery.

"We'll get him back, don't worry, Wolfwhisper," Cactustail murmured, "But for now, you have other kits to take care of." Wolfwhisper nodded, still looking stunned. Sunspiral looked relieved to see his mate was okay.

"So ShadowClan's not giving back Olivepaw?" Bitterpaw asked, turning back to his brother. Badgerpaw nodded.

"They want a fight," he replied.

"That's absurd!" Bitterpaw meowed.

"Apparently not to Nettlestar. He made us leave and told us if we still wanted Olivepaw, we'd have to fight to get him back."

"Still? What do you mean, still?" Bitterpaw asked.

"Well, we ran into a patrol…" Badgerpaw's meow trailed off. Bitterpaw looked his brother up and down and gasped when he realized how much blood was covering his pelt. Blood was spilling from a wound on his shoulder, and several scratches on his belly. Blood was already pooling on the ground.

"How did you even get back to camp?" Bitterpaw gasped. "We need to take you to Frostmouse!" He let Badgerpaw lean on him as they padded to the medicine den.

"The rest of the patrol was fighting, too," Badgerpaw protested.

"Fighting?" Frostmouse's meow came from the back of the medicine den. He padded up to meet them and gasped when he saw Badgerpaw. "Great StarClan! You're no more than a few scraps of fur! Look at all that blood…" He turned to his herb supply. "Do I even have enough cobwebs?" He murmured to himself.

"If you don't have enough, you should use them on the other cats in the patrol," Badgerpaw insisted.

"No, no." Frostmouse shook his head. He grabbed a wad of cobwebs. "The belly is one of the weakest spots on a cat! Whoever fought you sure got a good grip…"

"I would've ripped him to shreds if Blackice had told us not to fight back," Badgerpaw growled. He winced as Frostmouse made him sit down and rubbed some sort of mixture on his belly scratches.

"It's a mixture of horsetail and marigold," Frostmouse explained. "Horsetail helps stop the bleeding, and marigold is good for stopping infection." After he was finished rubbing the mixture on, he put on some cobwebs and handed Badgerpaw a poppy seed. Badgerpaw eagerly licked it up.

"Thanks, Frostmouse," He murmured. Frostmouse led him over to one of the nests for patients and Badgerpaw curled up without protest.


	12. Chapter 12

"Thanks a lot," Bitterpaw sighed, glancing from Badgerpaw to Frostmouse. "He will heal, right?"  
"I should think so," Frostmouse meowed. "I am the medicine cat, aren't I?"

"Right," Bitterpaw meowed, smiling. "Sorry to doubt your skills." He turned and padded out of the medicine den. As he trotted out, he passed Darkpaw, who was leading Rainpaw, who was bleeding from a scratch over her eye and walking on three legs, carefully to Frostmouse. He heard Rainpaw meow,

"Really, Darkpaw, I'm fine." Frostmouse groaned when he saw he had another patient.

Bitterpaw realized as he was padding away that he hadn't asked Frostmouse about his dreams. He headed for the fresh kill pile. _Maybe Pigeonwing will do some training with me, _he thought hopefully. He took two mice and padded towards the warriors' den to give one to his mentor. As Bitterpaw was trotting over, Pigeonwing squeezed out, stiff-legged. He blinked at Bitterpaw, glancing hopefully at the mice he held in his jaws. Bitterpaw purred, setting them down.

"If you're wondering if these are for you or not, who else in the warriors' den would I want to share a mouse with?" He meowed. Pigeonwing purred, flicking his tail. He sat down uncomfortably.

"Was it raining?" He asked, as he took a bite of a mouse. "Because I think there might be a leak in the warriors' den. I'm as stiff as… well, I'm just stiff. And still tired." He stifled a yawn. Bitterpaw glanced worriedly at his mentor.

"I could ask Frostmouse to see if there's an herb to help," He suggested. _I could also ask about my dream while I'm at it. _Pigeonwing shook his head, but Bitterpaw got up and padded towards the medicine den anyway. "I insist!" He called over his shoulder. Pigeonwing shrugged stiffly.

Bitterpaw pushed his way inside the crowded medicine den, calling for Frostmouse. "Oh, what is it this time? Surely not another injury…" Frostmouse padded over to Bitterpaw, holding a wad of cobwebs in his paw. He looked relieved to see Bitterpaw was alone and unhurt. "Well then, how can I help you?" Frostmouse meowed more cheerfully. He set the cobwebs down and curled his tail around his paws.

"I came to ask if you have an herb for stiff joints. Pigeonwing thinks there's a leak in the roof of the warriors' den," Bitterpaw replied. Frostmouse smiled and stood up.

"Why, that's easy!" He turned and shuffled his way past Badgerpaw and Rainpaw. Bitterpaw followed, careful not to disturb his sleeping denmates. "Daisy leaves… daisy leaves," Frostmouse murmured, looking through all his herbs. "Ah-ha! Here they are!" He turned, holding what looked like regular leaves to Bitterpaw, but what must be some sort of herb he didn't know about. "Give these to Pigeonwing, and he should feel much better!" Frostmouse handed the leaves to Bitterpaw. "I think after you're made a warrior, Pigeonwing's going to be joining the elders, so if you ever need more, come straight here," he whispered.

"I wanted to tell you something else," Bitterpaw meowed.

"Later," Frostmouse mewed. "Go and treat your patient." Bitterpaw nodded, grabbed the leaves, and headed back out into the clearing.


	13. Chapter 13

"I hope you saved one of those mice for me!" Bitterpaw called cheerily to his mentor, who was grooming himself. Pigeonwing looked up and flicked his tail, smiling. "I got some herbs to help with the stiffness. I think you're just supposed to eat them. Frostmouse didn't explain very well." Pigeonwing laughed.

"Frostmouse has never been that great at explaining. Perhaps that's why he doesn't have an apprentice," He chuckled. Bitterpaw smiled and set the leaves in front of him. Pigeonwing gave the leaves a tentative sniff before gobbling them up. He shivered. "Not the tastiest thing I've ever eaten, but if it'll help with my aching joints, whatever," He mewed.

"Can we go hunting now?" Bitterpaw begged. Pigeonwing hesitated, then sighed.

"I'm not sure. I have to talk to Smokestar now, Bitterpaw," He meowed, then padded off to Smokestar's den. Bitterpaw watched him go sadly. He padded miserably to the apprentices' den, where he found Darkpaw.

"I wish Birdeye would train with me or something," Darkpaw moaned, glancing up as Bitterpaw entered the den. "It's so empty in here without Rainpaw." Bitterpaw cocked his head.

"And Badgerpaw and Olivepaw," He meowed.

"Oh, they're gone, too?" Darkpaw looked surprised. He shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Bitterpaw, it's just I can't keep my mind off of Rainpaw these days." He sighed.

"It was you who took Rainpaw to the medicine den in the first place," Bitterpaw pointed out. Darkpaw nodded. Then his face lit up.

"I'll go ask Frostmouse if she's well enough that she can sleep in here!" He meowed, as though this were the smartest idea in the world. He jumped to his paws and raced out of the apprentices' den, not even saying goodbye to Bitterpaw. Bitterpaw rolled his eyes. _She hasn't been attacked by a horde of dogs, _he thought. _Over-dramatic. But, then again, I might have been a bit over-dramatic with Badgerpaw… _He remembered his dreams. _They're only dreams, stop being so protective. _

Bitterpaw padded after Darkpaw. Frostmouse's eyes glittered with amusement when he saw Bitterpaw enter the medicine den. "You might as well stay here if you're going to keep coming back," He purred. Bitterpaw smiled, then jumped as he felt a paw nudge him. He looked down and saw Badgerpaw stretching sleepily in his moss nest.

"Sorry," He muttered. He got to his paws, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He glanced questioningly at Darkpaw, who was fussing over Rainpaw. "What's up with him?"  
"He's always liked Rainpaw," Bitterpaw mewed. "I guess he just went over the top love-crazy." This comment made Badgerpaw purr with amusement.

"I thought he seemed a bit fond of her," He meowed, sitting up straight and wrapping his tail neatly around his paws. "If they have kits when we're made warriors, I'm sure they'll be adorable!" Bitterpaw frowned, shuddering slightly. "What, you don't want to be warriors?" Badgerpaw meowed, glancing at him.

Bitterpaw shook his head. "I want to be a warrior, I just don't want to think about Rainpaw and Darkpaw having kits any time soon!" Badgerpaw laughed quietly.

"Sorry. You can't argue though, really. They are a cute couple!" He purred.

"I suppose I could agree with that…" Bitterpaw murmured. Darkpaw's ears pricked slightly at Badgerpaw and Bitterpaw's conversation, but he didn't stop what he was doing- which, by the looks of it, was grooming Rainpaw's fur. "He doesn't give up, does he?"


End file.
